Watani: My Homeland_Oscar nominated

ITN Productions is delighted to announce that Watani: My Homeland, a unique film documenting the refugee journey of one Syrian family, has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Short Subject category.

Filmed between 2013 and 2016, the film tells the story of four young children who live with their parents on the front-line of war-torn Aleppo. After the children's father is captured by ISIS, they are forced to leave Syria with their mother and to attempt to begin a new life in Germany.

Marcel Mettelsiefen, producer and director, said: "I wanted to make a film that - in these times of hate and division - showed the other side of persecution. It shows life as a refugee through the humanizing eyes of children. These kids are the innocent, unpolitical victims of a turbulent civil war."

Stephen Ellis, producer and editor, said: "Because this film takes place over three years, you can see the children develop and change. It's a story of resilience and courage, but also of damage and loss, and acts as a warning against the dangers of turning inwards and ignoring the political crises on our doorsteps."

Chris Shaw, ITN Productions editorial director, said: "In the many hours of news coverage and documentary footage about the Syrian Civil War we believe this film uniquely captures the true human and domestic impact of the worst humanitarian tragedy of this century. Among many important films about Syria this one uniquely captures the entire arc of the civil war and it documents not only the physical but psychological upheaval of being forced to leave your homeland."